


swallowed in red

by justanexercise



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-08 03:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16421102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanexercise/pseuds/justanexercise
Summary: Kara blows out her powers and doesn’t see it coming. Alex gets hurt in the process.





	swallowed in red

“Supergirl!”

Kara ignores the increasingly frantic calls in her headset. She digs her feet into the earth, grounding her as her heat vision runs hotter.

“Kara you have to stop!” Alex screams. This time Kara can hear her in real time. She can’t budge now, can’t move to reassure Alex that she has this, that she’s almost done, just a little more.

Kara crosses her arms over her chest, taking a step forward and doubling down on the latest Cadmus invention designed to destroy her. The kryptonite blasts ping uselessly off her newly improved suit fitted with anti-kryptonite filters.

The AI-powered Lexo-suit starts to wobble, the metal denting under Kara’s sustained blast. She just needs a bit more power, just enough to disable it. She pulls in deep from her reserves, hitting it with everything she’s got. Her heat vision sizzles out just as the robot’s powers deplete.

Kara drops to her knees, her fists scrapping along the cracked asphalt. She grunts, turning her hand to see a few bloody spots along the top of her knuckles. She sways on her knees, toppling sideways.

“I got you,” Alex says, holding her. “I got you.” She repeats, tucking Kara’s battered and bloody body against her chest.

“I did it,” Kara mumbles, snuggling in, letting Alex take her whole weight.

“Yea and blew out your powers.” Alex tuts, holding Kara’s hands, gently rubbing at her scrapes. “I told you to stop.”

Kara hums, eyes shut. She can’t even argue with Alex about it now, she will later when Alex will reprimand her for being so impulsive, and Kara will argue her own point that she did it and defeated that damn thing.

For now, she rests. Alex is here, she’ll take care of her. She always does. She’s safe.

Kara tilts her head, blinking at the harsh sunlight in her eyes. She squints, moving until the shadow of Alex’s head halos in the sun. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Alex smiles wryly, brushing Kara’s hair. “You’re still not getting away with this.”

Kara pouts, becoming even more deadweight against Alex.

DEO agents around them take care of the clean up now that the primary threat is gone. The chatter in her ears serves as a soothing background noise as she drifts in and out. Alex starts to haul her up and Kara whines. She could just fall asleep against Alex.

“Area secure—“ Alex starts to say.

Kara’s eyes snap open when Alex tenses. She tries to find the threat, but without her powers, she can only see and hear so far.

“Grenade!” Alex hollers, shoving Kara to the ground and covering her.

In that split second, Kara sees that it is not exactly a grenade, but a much larger projectile shot off from a drone. The next thing she knows is the splitting pain against her leg and arm. Shrapnel pierces through skin that isn’t protected by her boots, the pieces easily scoring through the rest of her suit.

She instinctively wraps her arms around Alex and rolls over to take the brunt of the damage, to protect Alex. It’s too late now anyways.

“Alex?” Kara shakily lifts herself up.

“I’m okay,” Alex groans. She’s obviously not okay. Blood flows onto the ground at a slow even pace.

“Oh no,” Kara presses her hands down on whatever open wound she can see. Most of them are superficial, but when she presses down onto Alex’s stomach, Alex squeaks out in pain, writhing under her. “I need help!” Kara looks around, seeing the rest of the agents containing the area and trying to find the drone that shot them.

She squints down, trying to activate her x-ray vision to see the extent of the damage. Nothing works.

“J’onn?” Kara taps her comms. “J’onn, Alex is hurt, there was a grenade, she’s bleeding out!”

“M’not bleeding out,” Alex grunts. Kara makes a point to press harder against the gaping wound. Alex moans out, hand slapping against Kara’s wrist. “Fuck.”

“Shut up.”

Alex looks annoyed even when she’s obviously in the wrong.

Kara only looks marginally relieved when J’onn tells her he’s coming in fast, a minute tops, to get Alex to medical. She can’t worry about anything else right now but makes a small cursory look around, it seems that no one else is seriously injured. That was meant for her. And Alex covered her.

“You dummy,” Kara mumbles.

Alex grimaces through the pain, making off with a small smile before gritting her teeth. She’s losing color in her already pale cheeks, eyes drooping as the blood loss gets to her. Kara presses harder, only temporarily making Alex glare at her annoyed before she starts to drift off again.

“Alex.” Kara’s eyes dart around to the skies, still no sign of J’onn. “Hey, come on, don’t’ sleep now.”

“Tired,” Alex mumbles, not even responding to Kara’s increased pressure to her wound.

Kara’s fingers slip against each other on Alex’s blood, the material damp and sticky as the blood pools even more under them.

She’s not sure how long it takes for J’onn to come over, she just keeps calling for Alex, seeing Alex pass out. J’onn whisks Alex off to the DEO as Kara kneels, looking at the blood on her hands, at the blood staining the concrete.

She doesn’t rise until the DEO agents haul her into a van. Kara’s fingers twitch, the blue sleeves now purple.

Kara only snaps back to the present when they get to the DEO, she shoves the SUV door open before they come to a complete stop, running up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. She’s breathless by the time she gets to the medical wing.

“Alex.” Kara’s hand comes up to the glass, seeing the doctor work on her.

She stands there, watching, until the doctor nods his head and steps away.

“Supergirl,” Doctor Wu nods respectfully. “She’s going to be fine.”

Kara’s whole body sags against the wall. “Can I…?” she waves vaguely.

“Of course,” he smiles reassuringly with a nod. “But uhm…” he stops her momentarily pointing to her suit. “Maybe clean up before going in?”

Kara sees her suit, torn, dirty, still bloody. She nods once, casting one more longing glance at Alex and silently vowing that she’ll be back soon.

The blood swirls pink in the drain, her suit in the laundry bin. She doesn’t leave until the water runs clear and her skin is pink from scrubbing Alex’ blood off.

She’s back at Alex’s side, holding her hand and waiting.

J’onn told her to go to the sunbed, to heal, to get her powers back.

She can’t leave.

Kara presses Alex’s limp palm against her cheek, lips finding the pulse on her wrist. A tether.

“I’m sorry,” Kara says, holding back a sob. “I’m so sorry.”

Her tears run down Alex’s palm.

If only she didn’t blow out her powers, she would’ve heard it, she would’ve shielded Alex, not the other way around.

Her back hurts, her muscles sore, but still she won’t move. She refuses Winn’s halfhearted attempts to coax her out with food. He gives her a bottle of water, patting her on the shoulder before leaving her alone. They know better than to convince her to leave Alex’s side.

Neither of them could ever do that.

Kara falls asleep, head tucked against Alex’s shoulder, still holding Alex’s hand.

“Kara?” Alex rasps.

“Alex!” Kara springs up, wincing at the pull at her neck.

“Hey,” Alex smiles softly, eyes droopy but alert when she takes a cursory exam of Kara’s body. She frowns. “You should be at the sun—“

“Shut up.”

Alex’s jaw snaps shut.

“You idiot,” Kara shakes her head, already unable to hold back her sob.

“I-“

And when Alex doesn’t heed her warning to be quiet, Kara swoops in, kissing her, just a small brush their chapped lips together.

Alex makes a choked noise.

“I love you,” Kara says, kissing her cheek, her forehead. She pulls back, hands wringing, waiting.

Alex takes a moment, licking her dry lips. “Well…that’s…” she reaches out, holding onto Kara’s curled fists. She kisses the back of Kara’s hand, smiling. “I love you too.”

“Dummy.”

“Your dummy.”

Kara’s heart soars.

They’ll yell at each other later for their actions. Justified in their own minds.

But maybe later, they’ll be more careful.

There are more things at stake now.


End file.
